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 IV. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 



A . Impact of the Proposed Action 



1 . Physical Environirent 



Under the Agreement, Canadian fishing vessels would 

 have access to limited areas of the U.S. fishery conserva- 

 tion zone (FCZ) to harvest the entitlements provided. With the 

 exception of access provided in the Loligo squid fishery, 

 Canadian vessels would be confined to former ICNAF Subarea 

 5, principally Subdivision 5Ze and, to a lesser extent. 

 Division 5Y (see figure 2,'. They would not be permitted 

 to fish within 12 miles of the U.S. coast. It should be 

 noted that Canadian fishing vessels currently have access 

 to a significant portion of Subdivision 5Ze by virtue of 

 the overlapping boundary claims on Georges Bank. 



The proposed action would generate two categories of 

 impacts on the physical environment, one related to the 

 presence of Canadian fishing vessels in part of the U.S. 

 zone, and the other related to the act of fishing. The 

 presence of Canadian vessels within the FCZ carries with it 

 the potential for certain hazards such as collisions with 

 other vessels and marine pollution. These potential 



